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My Life Bacon

I didn’t just write this new book, I lived it.

An excerpt that tells a piece of my story…

Motivation to be Accepted: Knowledge is Power Bacon

Leaving Christian was not easy but ninth grade was here. I was headed to an all girls’ school and Christian just couldn’t pull off the kilt. At the urging of Sr. Joseph, I sat for the scholarship test and won a full four-year scholarship to a fancy private academy. More than anything, I was motivated to belong. Motivation was not enough. When I was in ninth grade, I had homeroom in the art room. By my seat, was a project that read: “Knowledge is Power Bacon.”

I had trouble adjusting to high school. Every day, I felt myself sinking and I was desperate for a life boat – desperate enough to think that “power bacon” just might be a place to start. If it would give me power or bring me knowledge, then I had to find it. So, I began my quest for power bacon and after every bite, I would wait to see if I felt powerful or if I felt the light of knowledge descend upon me. After weeks of omelets and BLTs, all I truly felt was bloated from the salt and exasperated by the process.

As we approached Thanksgiving break, the culture of the school relaxed and I felt a bit brave. After months of silence, I raised my hand. Sr. Ethel was so shocked she stopped talking in the middle of her sentence to call on me. “Sister,” I said, “I have been staring at that art project for a couple of months now and I was just wondering if you could help me to understand it. What is power bacon?” This is where my motivation failed me. The entire class laughed at me and made rude comments. It was the nightmare I had dreamt it a hundred times but this time I was wide awake.

Sr. Ethel said: “We have been waiting for months for you to raise your hand and the first time you do, you disrupt my class. You know perfectly well, this art project reflects the famous saying, ‘Knowledge is Power,’ by Sir Francis Bacon.” “Knowledge is Power Bacon.” Oh………. I thought, now that changes everything.